Durango, Colorado Named Top Value Ski Spot For Travelers Hitting The Slopes In North America

TripAdvisor TripIndex Ski Features Cost Comparison of Popular Ski Destinations in the U.S. and Canada

NEWTON, Mass., Dec. 6, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- TripAdvisor®, the world's largest travel site*, today announced its TripIndex Ski, a cost comparison of 25 popular ski destinations throughout the United States and Canada.

TripAdvisor TripIndex Ski highlights the combined average cost of common ski trip expenses including a one-night hotel stay, a single-day lift ticket, a basic ski equipment rental package, and a meal at a local restaurant consisting of a burger and fries and a bottle or draft of domestic beer.

Top Slopes to Save

The most affordable ski destination in North America is Durango, Colorado with a total TripIndex Ski cost of $210, which is about half the cost of the average of all destinations on the index.

Bend, Oregon is the second most affordable spot and also represents the least expensive ski destination in the Northwest, with a TripIndex Ski price tag of $215.

North Conway, New Hampshire offers the best value of ski destinations in the Northeast with a TripIndex Ski cost of $247

Banff, Alberta is Canada's most pocket-friendly ski destination with a total TripIndex Ski price tag of $323.

Big Ticket Ski Escapes

With a total of $802, Vail, Colorado is the most expensive destination in this year's TripIndex Ski, nearly double the average of all destinations on the index. Aspen, Colorado was the second most expensive spot registering at $717.

With six of the 10 most expensive destinations in the U.S., Colorado proves to be the priciest state for packing down the powder.

Save Best in the West

Travelers looking for a bargain should consider strapping on their skis out west as Durango (Colorado), Bend (Oregon), Taos (New Mexico), and Salt Lake City (Utah) are in the top five most affordable ski destinations.

Each of the best value destinations offer average hotel prices under $200 per night. Nearly half of the most expensive destinations include average nightly hotel rates of more than $400.

"The TripAdvisor TripIndex Ski helps travelers identify top ski spots in the U.S. and Canada that deliver the best value this season," said Brooke Ferencsik, director of communications at TripAdvisor. "A trip to the slopes can often be pricey, and TripIndex Ski proves there are plenty of skiing hotspots where travelers can hop on the chairlift without breaking the bank."

TripIndex Ski looks at 25 popular ski destinations across the United States and Canada. The list was editorially compiled using information from ski and travel experts, as well as TripAdvisor site data.

Prices were collected through a variety of research methods outlined below between October and November 2012.

Hotel prices shown reflect the average nightly rate per room, on TripAdvisor.com for the winter travel period December 15, 2012 – April 15, 2013. Hotels are within a five mile radius of the destination. Between three and 49 hotels were included to calculate the average price in all destinations. On average, 19 hotels were included in the total cost of each destination. Pricing information was sourced from partner booking sites on TripAdvisor.com.

Lift ticketprices reflect the average cost of an adult lift ticket for one day to ski resorts in each destination.

Ski equipment rental prices specify the average cost of a basic ski equipment rental package (boots, skis, poles). The cost shown is the average price of three ski hire packages provided by suppliers in the destination. *Identifies ski rental prices that come from only two suppliers.

Meal prices shown reflect the average cost of a burger and fries sourced from three local restaurants.

Beer prices shown reflect the average cost of a bottle or draft of domestic beer sourced from three local restaurants.

About TripAdvisorTripAdvisor® is the world's largest travel site,* enabling travelers to plan and have the perfect trip. TripAdvisor offers trusted advice from real travelers and a wide variety of travel choices and planning features with seamless links to booking tools. TripAdvisor branded sites make up the largest travel community in the world, with more than 60 million unique monthly visitors*, and over 75 million reviews and opinions. The sites operate in 30 countries worldwide, including China under daodao.com. TripAdvisor also includes TripAdvisor for Business, a dedicated division that provides the tourism industry access to millions of monthly TripAdvisor visitors.